Relaxer



Aug. 2, 1960 7 Filed April 4, 1958 L. P. MCKENZIE 2,947,009

RELAXER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Lou/Z9 Philip McKenzie 1N VEN TOR.

6 L. P. MCKENZIE 2,947,009

RELAXER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1958 Louis Phil/10 McKenzie 20 IN VEN TOR.

BY @ewmd'.

Aug. 2, 1960 L. P. MCKENZIE 2,947,009

RELAXER Filed April 4, 19 58 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FI'gJ/ Lou/s Phil/b McKenzie 1N VEN TOR.

a, Fig. /4

Aug? 1960 L. P. MCKENZIE 2,947,009

RELAXER Filed April 4, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 001's Phi/11o McKenzie INVENTOR.

RELAXER Louis Philip McKenzie, Houston, Tex., assignor to Apartment Furniture Co., a corporation of Texas Filed Apr. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 726,543 6 Claims. c1. s-sz'n of an article of furniture including as a part thereof an elongated board supported substantially in the central area thereof on a suitable fulcrum so that the board may rock back and forth or permit a supine occupant to assume a desired inclined or horizontal position thereon and wherein the furniture includes a mirror structure enabling the occupant to view television without discomfort so that the occupant, while relaxed, may be entertained to avoid boredom.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of furniture of the type set forth in which the furniture, when not being used as a relaxer, may be utilized for other purposes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of furniture consisting essentially of a stand provided with a base in which the base is so formed as to present a fulcrum and having, in combination therewith, an elongated board which isbalanced on the fulcrum so as to receive a supine occupant thereon, there being provided a mirror adjustably mounted on the stand so that the occupant, supine on the board, can adjust the mirror to enable him to view a television screen.

Another object of this invention is to provide a relaxing device having considerable therapeutic value consisting essentially of an elongated board balanced upon the base portion of the furniture piece so that an occupant may lie supine on the board and rock or teeter back and forth to relax and wherein the furniture piece includes provision for viewing objects behind the occupant such as a television screen or the like.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as morefully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals, refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing oneform of the invention and illustrating the manner in which the same may be utilized in conjunction with a television set so that the occupant of the device may relax while at the same time viewing the television; Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken substantially along the plane of section line 2--2 in Figure l and showing details of construction of the base portion of the article of furniture and the manner in which the board cooperates therewith; V

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of section line 3-3 in Figure 1 and illustrating details of certain of thesupport rolls or pads positioned on the relaxing board; Figure 4 he perspective view showing the bottom of the relaxing board and illustrating the means thereon nited States Pu tice for locating or positioning the board relative to the fulcrum; i

Figure 5 is a side elevational view, on enlarged scale, of the assembly shown in Figure 1 and showing further details of construction thereof;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 5 and showing further details of the base assemblage thereof;

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially upon the plane of section line 7-7 in Figure 5 illustrating details of the base construction as well as the manner in which the upright and the mirror are assembled in relation thereto;

Figure-8 is an exploded perspective view of the mirror assembly;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a modified form 0 relaxer construction illustrating the relaxing board in.dotted lines in operative position with respect to the stand portion of the'device;

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 9 illustrating the manner in which the mirror may be swung to an inoperative position in which it may serve as a top for a table or similar article of furniture and illustrating, in dotted lines, intermediate positions of the mirror;

Figure 11 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 11-11 in Figure 10 and illustrating details of the internal construction of the stand assembly and illustrating also the manner in which th mirror assembly is held in adjusted position;-

Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating further the details of the mirror adjusting mechanism;

Figure 13 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 13-13 in Figure 11 and showing further details of the internal construction of the stand assembly and illustrating the positioning and construction of the fulcrum assembly in the base of the stand;

Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a perspective view of a still further modified form of construction;

Figure 16 is a front elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 15;

Figure 17 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of line 17--17 of Figure 16 and illustrating the details of construction of the base and the upright assemblage as well as the manner'in which the mirror assemblage is connected thereto and showing, further, the disposition of the drawer member in the mirror assemblage;

Figure 18 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 18-48 in Figure 17 and showing further details of the mirror mounting.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1-8 inclusive, the relaxer will be seen to consist essentially of a base assembly indicated generally by the reference character 10, an upright 11 and a mirror assembly indicated generally by the reference character 12. In conjunction therewith and supported by the base 10 is a relaxing board indicated generally by the reference character 13 upon which the user may lie in a supine position while utilizing the mirror assembly 12 in the manner indicated in Figure 1 to view a television set indicated generally by the reference character '14 which is behind his or her head. t

In this particular form of the invention, the base as sembly 10, as best shownin Figures 2 and 5-7 inclusive, is in the form of-a prism lying on one of its sides and including a bottom wall 15, upwardly convergent side walls 16 and 1! and end walls 18 and 19 closing the opposite ends of the chamber or space 20 defined by the base. The upper edge 21 formed by the upwardly convergent side walls 16 and 17 forms a fulcrum upon which the relaxer board 13 is balanced, the purpose being to permit the user, while supine on the board, to teeter up and down to aid in the circulation of the blood and to become lulled or relaxedas will be readily apparent.

Preferably, the side wall 17 is provided with an opening 25 to gain access to the interior 'of the base and along the top and bottom edges of this opening 25 are a pair of guide strips 26 and 27 slidably receiving the upper and lower edges respectively of a sliding door 28 as" can be best seen in Figures 2 and 6. The door is provided with a knob 29 projecting outwardly therefrom which permits the door to be easily slid while at the same time providing a' limit stop for the door in the open position. I

The relaxing board itself, ascan'be best seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4 preferably consists of an elongated piece of'plywood' 30 or similar substance having the upper surface thereof provided with a layer of padding mate'- rial 3'1 and covered with a suitable layer 32 of material such as plastic, leather or the like, which covering extends over the opposite ends of the board as indicated by the reference characters 33 and3'4- and also over the opposite side edges thereof as indicated by the reference characters 35 and 36 and beneath-the board as indicated at 37 and 38 to be secured thereto as by fasteners or 'tacks 39. In this manner, the covering for the board ish'eld in taut condition. Secured to the undersurface 40 of the board are a series of transversely extending half round elements 41 which are disposed in edge abutting 'relationshipand are preferably formed of relatively hard "rubber or similar material and define, in the crotches 42 thereb'etween, spaces selectively receiving the fulcrum edge 21 of the base thus adjustably positioning the board relative to the base and permitting the aforementioned teetering action. Thus, as can be best seen in Figure 2, the relaxer board may be positioned in any one of a number of intermediate positions to properly balance thesam'e with the users weightsuperposed thereon. The object is, ofc'ourse, tosubstantially balance the users weight with respect to the fulcrum so that a teetering actionis easily permitted with a minimum of effort required onth'e users part.

As an aid in supporting the'users' body upon the relaxer board 13, a plurality of pads or rests indicated generally by the reference characters 43, 44 and 45rnay be utilized; Each of these pads, of rests, as can bebest seen in Figure 3, consists of a core 46 of resilient or deformable material such as sponge rubber or the like provided with asuitable co'vering47 of material preferably compatible with the covering material 42 of the board proper. A length of resilient'cord 48 or the like passes through the center of the core 46 and the opposite ends '49'an'd 50 thereof are joined so as to provide an endless loop which may be slipped over the relaxer board to firmly anchor thepad in place, as is clearly illustrated in" Figure 3.

It is preferred that the pad 43 be so disposed on the board 13 as to engage under the users neck whereas the pad 44engagesunder the knees and the pad 45 under the ankles but it is to be appreciated that the pads may be utilized wherever desired to lend a maximum of comfort to the user.

In utilizingthe device, it is suggested that the user teeter up and down and inhale with his head raised and exhale with his head lowered.

The upright =11 is pivotally' secured to the end wall 18 of the base assembly by means of a suitable bolt 56) havin'g its head- 51 disposed insidetheba'se'and its shank ptbjectiiig 'therethroug'h and through the lower end 52 or the upright where it is provided with a wing nut 53 soast'o"selectivelylock or releasethe lower end' of the upright with respect to the base'. The upper end 4 of the isprovidedwith a similar bolt 55and"wing nut 56, the bolt- 55' passing through a generally L-shaped block 57 to which the mirror assembly 12 is rigidly afiixed, thus permitting the mirror assembly to assume any one of a number of desired angular positions with respect to the upright 11 and the base 10, as will be readily apparent. The mirror assembly itself consists of a lower frame section 60 having a recessed central portion 61 of a shape conforming to the configuration of the mirror element 62 and receiving the same therewithin with the mirror being held-in place by the open rectangular upper frame 63 substantially as is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. The mirror assemblage is, in turn, suitably secured rigidly'to'theblock 57 so that'the mirror and the block turn about-the bolt 55 as-a pivot.

The assembly above described can be utilized, at times other than when used we relaxer, as a writing stand when the parts are positioned substantially as shown in Figure 5 in full lines, as a reading stand, a lamp or flower stand, a shaving stand, a shoe shine stand or the like. When not in use for any purpose,- the assemblage can easily be let down'by loosening the wing nuts-53, 56 to-permit placing thereof under a bed or in a closet, as desired.

Referring more particularly to "Figures 9-13 inclusive, a modified form of the assembly is illustrated. In this form of the assembly, the stand is indicated generally by the reference character 70 and includes, in its base portion, a fulcrum element 71 joining the lower vertical edges of the sidewalls 72 and 73, the'opposite vertical edges thereof being joined by the backbar element 74, substantially as is-shown. As can be seen mostclearly in Figure 13, the fulcrum element 71 is provided with a pointed or sharp upper edge 75 and this edge is at a greater height than the upper edge 76 of the back bar element 74. The purpose of this constructio'n will be presently apparent. I

The upper ends of the'side walls 72 and 73 are joined by the cross bars 77 and 78 which cross bars have upper edges 79 and 80 substantially flush with the upper edges of the side walls and form, with the parts in position illustrated in Figure 13, a supporting surface for the mirror assembly indicated generally'by the reference character 81. Additionally, there is provided a cross bar element 82 somewhat below the cross bar 77 and the cross bars 78 and 77 are joined by a bottom wall element 83 which extends between the side walls 72 and 73 and forms a recess or compartment 84 for storage of articles.

The mirror assembly 81 is hingedly mounted as by a hinge element 85 on the upper edge'79 of cross bar 77 and is thus movable between a plur'ality of positions such as are indicated in Figures 10 and 13' so that a person utilizing a relaxer'board indicated by the reference character 86 in Figure 9 may so position the mirror assembly to view a television screen as previously described in conjunction with Figure 1.

The upper edge 75 of the element 71 provides a fulcrum for the balance board 86 and being greater height than the upper edge' 76 of the element 74, the relaxer board may be teetered up and down as previously described.

The mirror assembly, as can be best seen in Figure 13, is composed of a lower framework'90 having a recess 91 therein receiving the mirror element 92 held in place by means of the upper frame 93 which is of open rectangular configuration, substantially as shown in conjunction with Figure 8 and it is to be appreciated that when the mirror is disposed in the position illustrated in Figure 13, thestand assembly can serve as a desk, a wall table or a lamp table.

The undersurface of the lower frame element of the mirror assembly is provided, at one side thereof, with a bracket including a base and a depending ear 101 'whichis suitably apertured to receive the laterally bent end portion 102 of an adjusting rod 103. A further bracket or securing clamp 104 is secured to the inner face of the side 'wall72' and includes a cylindrical portion 105, best shown'in'Figure 12, provided witha transverse bore 1% slidably receiving the adjusting rod 193 and provided with an axially extending bore 107 receiving a setscrew 108 by means of which the desired adjusted position of the rod 103 may be maintained. The bottom wall 83 is of course provided with a suitable slot 110 permitting the adjusting rod 103 to project therethrough in any one of the adjusted positions of the mirror assemblage.

The bracket 104 is pivotally secured to the side wall 72 by means of a suitable bolt or rivet 111 to permit the bracket 104 to swivel back and forth as the various adjusted positions of the mirror assembly are attained.

In Figure 14, an assembly identical to that illustrated and described in conjunction with Figures 9-13 inclusive is shown with the exception that the mirror assemblage indicated generally by the reference character 120 is disposed in a reverse position with respect to the stand assembly indicated generally by the reference character 121. In this particular instance, the mirror 120 faces downwardly when the mirror assembly is in the horizontal position overlying the top of the stand 121 and supported thereon so that the device can then be utilized as a convenient table or stand with the mirror being protected by being disposed downwardly, as shown.

Figures 15-18 inclusive show a still further modified form of the invention in which the stand assembly, indicated generally by the reference character 123 is provided with the upright side walls 124 and 125 which are joined together at their lower ends by the base portion 126, the mirror assembly indicated generally by the reference character 127 being pivotally disposed between the upper ends of the uprights 124 and 125, substantially as shown.

The base, as can be best seen in Figure 17, includes a bottom wall 130 extending between and connected to the side uprights 124 and 125 and provided. along one edge thereof with a vertical cross piece 131 and at the opposite edge thereof with a further vertical cross piece 132 provided with a fulcrum edge 133 along its upper edge which is disposed at a greater height than the upper edge 134 of the cross piece 131. Hinged to the cross piece 131 adjacent the upper edge .134 thereof is a cover 135 and the inner face of the cross piece 132 is provided with a rest bar 136 supporting such cover when the same is in the fullline position illustrated in Figure 17, the cover being provided with a hand knob 137 permitting it to be opened in a manner illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 17 so that the space or chamber 138 within the base may be utilized for storage purposes.

The mirror assembly 127 includes the frame portion 140 provided with a centrally disposed recess 141 receiving therein a mirror 142 and provided with an outer frame 143 serving to hold the mirror in place, substantially as is shown in Figure 17 and in a similar manner to that illustrated and described in conjunction with Figure 8.

The mirror assembly 127 is provided so that its frame portion 140 is extended downwardly as is illustrated in Figure 17 and is provided with a boxed in lower end portion 144- equipped with a transverse pivot rod 145 extending through the upright portions 124 and 125, the box portion 144 being hollow as indicated by the reference character 146 and having an opening 147 in its forward edge to receive a removable drawer element 148.-

The pivot rod 145, as can be best seen in Figure 18,

extends completely through the uprights 124 and 125,,

being provided with an enlarged head 150 at one end thereof and being threaded at the opposite end 151 thereof to receive a wing nut 152 thereon so that the position of the assembly 127 may be pivotally set as desired. The fulcrum edge 133 serves to receive a balance board as indicated by the reference character 160 in Figure 15. A bar 161 joins the opposite side pieces 162 and 163 of 6 the mirror assembly 127, this bar being utilized, if desired, by the occupant of the balance board for pulling himself up and down in the teetering motion. This device can be used as a card or eating table, drafting table, wall table or vanity.

The. foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A device for relaxation comprising a stand having a base portion providing a fulcrum, supported by said stand, a mirror above said fulcrum, an elongated board balanced on said fulcrum and having a head end facing said mirror for observation of objects behind said head end of the board reflected in the mirror, and pivotally adjustable means mounting said mirror on said stand.

2. A relaxing device comprising a stand having a base portion including a pair of spaced, upstanding side walls and a transverse wall extending between said side walls, said transverse wall being of relatively short height and presenting a fulcrum along its top edge, a relaxing board balanced upon said fulcrum between said side walls and extending in opposite directions beyond the same, and a mirror pivotally supported between the upper ends of said side walls for movement about an axis extending therebetween in substantial parallelism with the top edge of said transverse wall.

3. A relaxing device comprising a stand including a triangular base portion presenting a transversely extending fulcrum along the upper edge thereof, a relaxer board balanced upon said fulcrum, an upright projecting upwardly from one side of said base portion and a mirror mounted on the upper end of said upright and overhanging said base portion, said mirror being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis substantially parallel to said upper edge of the base portion.

'4. A relaxing device comprising a stand including a triangular base portion presenting a transversely extending fulcrum along the upper edge thereof, a relaxer board balanced upon said fulcrum, an upright projecting upwardly from one side of said base portion, and a mirror mounted on the upper end of said upright and overhanging said base portion, said mirror being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis substantially parallel to said upper edge of the base portion, said upright being pivotally connected to said base portion about an axis parallel to said upper edge thereof.

5. A relaxing device comprising a stand including a hollow base having an upper edge portion presenting a fulcrum, an elongated relaxer board balanced upon said fulcrum and extending in opposite directions from said stand, said stand including a portion projecting above said fulcrum, and a mirror pivotally mounted on said stand portion for movement about an axis spaced vertically above and extending transversely of said relaxer board, whereby a supine person on said board may observe objects beyond his head in said mirror.

6. A relaxing device comprising a stand including a pair of spaced vertical side walls interconnected at the lower ends of their forward and rear edges by transverse wall members, the rear transverse wall member being of greater height than the forward transverse wall member and presenting a fulcrum along its upper edge, an elongated relaxer board disposed between said side walls and balanced on said fulcrum, and a mirror assembly pivotally mounted between the upper ends of said side walls for movement about an axis parallel to said fulcrum.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Meuler Sept. 4, 1951 Gibbon Jan. '8, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES Publication, The Lancet, vol. 264, No. 67 69, PP-v 1027- 1029, May 23, 1953. 

